This past weekend I had the great opportunity to travel out to Bastrop with Aristo Movement to go meet with a great organization called All About Families. All About Families is an awesome organization that started shortly after the Wildfires to provide connections for the needs that victims may have.
While in Bastrop, we went out to visit two families that had been affected by the fires. The first person we talked with was a man who had a very unique and devastating story to share. He had sold his home the week before the fire and was making final preparations to move the following Tuesday. Since he and his wife had signed all the paperwork and closed on the home, they did the usual tasks such as cancelling utilities and cancelling their homeowners insurance. The fires swept through his neighborhood that weekend and destroyed everything but a shed on his property, including all their boxed up belongings which were in the garage. However, the tragedy doesn’t stop there. The following week, they received a notice from the company who bought the house that they would not be honoring the contract. This left the couple with no home, no belongings, and no insurance. With two mortgages on the home, the couple has been left with very few options on how to continue living their life. FEMA provided them a trailer to live in on the property, but even having that is being threatened as they were informed last week that they would have to start building within thirty-days or it would be removed from the property. The wife is working full-time at Lowes at minimum wage, while the husband continues to work for a major airline with hopes of receiving his retirement in a few months, which also isn’t guaranteed.
It’s moments like these where I am totally humbled and reminded just how important this documentary is. As time passes, the media moves on to other world events, and people begin to think that the disaster is over and the people have been taken care of. There are still hundreds of people who need help, and have uncertain futures because they lost almost everything. I recorded the interview and a bunch of footage around the property. I hope to have a short clip of it up this next week to share online. Be sure to like our page on Facebook to keep up with the progress on the documentary.
There are hundreds of families still in need in Bastrop, TX. Visit the All About Families website to get connected to help directly support and provide for those still in need.